West Brom Plotting Shock Summer Move For Preston’s Paul Heckingbottom

West Bromwich Albion view Paul Heckingbottom, the Preston North End manager, as a long-term target and could be tempted to appoint an interim successor to Eric Ramsay if they believe they can tempt him away from Deepdale this summer, SportsBoom can reveal. 

The Baggies’ already disappointing season lurched towards a catastrophe when Ramsay, who replaced Ryan Mason at the helm in January, was sacked after only nine games in charge.

And their ill-fated experiments with two inexperienced coaches have convinced The Hawthorns’ hierarchy to only consider candidates with a proven track record moving forward. 

That, according to a number of well-placed sources in the Midlands, has prompted them to begin compiling a dossier on Heckingbottom whose work at Sheffield United earned an army of admirers before taking over in Lancashire.

With The Lillywhites performing admirably in the Championship again this term, they looked set to secure play-off qualification before squad depth-issues undermined their challenge, Heckingbottom is neither actively courting fresh opportunities or minded to leave mid-campaign should a viable one present itself. 

However, if Albion are able to avoid relegation to League One, he would be interested in the possibility of working at a club with the potential to eventually reach the top-flight and possibly consolidate a place there too.

Good Record

Crucially for Albion, who are clearly reluctant to hire veterans, Heckingbottom is only 48-years-of-age and has shown himself to be more than capable of building relationships with modern-era professionals. 

He steered United to promotion from the second-tier in 2023 before watching the board dismantle the squad which had taken them there, having also taken Barnsley into the Championship at the beginning of his managerial career. 

Whilst at Oakwell, Heckingbottom also lifted the EFL Trophy before heading to Leeds United and then Hibernian. He worked at United’s world-renowned academy before stepping into the hot-seat himself, following a spell in caretaker charge.

Albion’s thinking is clouded by the fact that, having lost five and drawn four of their outings under Ramsay, they now find themselves only a place and a point above the relegation zone.

Darren Moore and Sean Dyche have both been linked with the role, although the latter is unlikely to want to commit until Albion’s fate is decided.